澳洲智慧家庭、智慧建築、智慧生活生態系統與市場概況

Mason Chen: I see.. thanks a lot for your updates Slava. And oops and the next question in the next big topic I think it’s about uh consumer so this is a question for David uh David so could you tell us and could you give us like an overview of what the consumer electronic retail landscape look like in Australia or also some of the more retail sector that you are familiar with yeah

David Cowell: Yeah thanks Masa. so um as we sort of touched on before we’re a uh a publishing house so part of our role is to uh deliver information to um not only the uh the the retailer but also via the retailer to the consumer. So in in our role and responsibility where where publication that is delivered to it’s close to 2000 retailers across Australia on a monthly basis and that’s our retail world publication. so we’re talking about Coles Woolworths um Aldi and then a multitude of independence. And then our grocery uh sorry convenience publication is going to uh pretty close to 8,000 convenience stores and that can range from petrol stations all the way through to to cafes so there’s quite a range of information uh that has been delivered through to these uh retailers on a regular basis. 

We also do have a pharmacy publication which uh touches on areas that um Slava was talking about before such as NDIS etc. um where patience uh come into pharmacy looking for products that can either um help with them servicing their health uh and they’ll also have discussions in and around uh digital technology that’s now currently available for them in areas such as diabetes and blood pressure and um weight loss management and so on and so forth.

When it comes to the consumer what what we’ve seen and it’s it’s been very interesting with covid in particular is that while um you know grocery retail has predominantly been in and around what you would consider FMCG. So you know everywhere from you know from your your drinks to your breakfast cereals you know all all your daily grocery needs there is a growing area within uh in that retail that grocery market for electronics um yeah traditionally it’s been your kettle your toasters um microwaves some you know small coffee machines etc

But there’s definitely been uh an adaptation to uh to smart devices so um yeah the last couple of years as I mentioned with covid coming in a lot of those stores those grocery stores those large retail outlets. uUh we’ll pretty much the only stores that we’re able to be open so we’ve seen um definitely coming into that market uh prepaid smartphones. So phones that people can buy and then continue to to purchase the um uh their credits for on a monthly basis. 

Uh we’ve seen um some smart home items such as bulbs and um connected devices such as that light bulbs etc charging um portals for for smartphones and other technologies and then moving into um headsets and uh all other manner of devices that are in and around that sort of smart home smart office tech area. So I think that’s an area that’s that’s definitely gonna seem more growth.

With convenience so all of our petrol stations, cafes and so on and so forth. Again we’ve sent a a surge in the market where service stations in particular and now seen as that opportunity when you’re driving through to be able to pick up not just your petrol but there are small grocery items in there now. But also again moving towards in car technology items uh items that can help with you know charging your smartphone your headsets. 

Um even now with you know you can start to see um some other areas moving in such as them becoming their own cafe so there’s an opportunity for other items such as um you know coffee machines and so on and so forth moving in there as well. Um but there’s some some of the areas that Nicholas and I were were reviewing um and probably make a good uh example that you gave to me was in regards to the um I think it was the actual automated um menu uh robot that um need and then we’ve actually seen in one of the clients and suppliers as well. 

Yeah so Nick if you could give us a just a a brief overview of that I think that would also um be a good Insight.

Nicholas Rider: Yeah so going through um the suppliers um yesterday, we noticed that there was um it was the supplier offering um sort of the smart robots and it looked like it was sort of used for sort of the Food Service sort of um space. 

And David and I sort of thought um that might be you know something cos we’ve convenience world um as that sort of the the lines crossed between um just your typical sort of petrol and convenience and your food service and food to go and things like that um and cafes having those sort of robots you know serving serving food I think you know Australia’s a little bit behind in that sort of aspect I’ve you know. 

I’ve seen in Sydney we’ve we have a there’s a Japanese chain I believe it is um got me chicken and um you know they’ve started trialing those sort of um those robots and I feel like something like that could be a a great opportunity to push that further um in Australia cos that sort of something that we might sort of be like in yeah.

Frank Mahmud: And I know it’s not um uh I I just wanted to add something. I just ask a quick question. I think it’s really interesting um with what David’s saying with Nick saying and what Paul kind of started off with saying. 

Uh you know Australia might not be you know the forefront of the you know acquisition of smart technologies or the information of smart technologies but I think covid’s kind of change that hasn’t it?

Uh Covid has really kind of um uh forced us to to look at automation to look at you know more efficient ways of doing things um and and and and I’m just curious uh uh to maybe we can save this for the end of the question uh or uh for the Q&A section but I’d really like to understand what other opportunities uh the team here feels uh that we may not have thought of traditionally pre-covid uh that maybe opportunities uh post-covid.

David Cowell: Yeah good point Frank uh one of the areas that we’ve definitely seen is uh in particular uh gross such as Aldi um who were very keen to to buck the trend of uh you know just being a a provider of your your day to day-to-day meals and food source etc um they regularly have uh smart technology uh uh install that you can purchase uh anywhere from from large um LCD TV screens through to some home office technology as well.

Uh so they’ve really taken on board the uh I guess the their you know as they’ve got the floor space and they’ve got people moving through their stores that they definitely looking at capitalize on that space and uh there’s a yeah as as look in Australian particular Woolworths and Coles um you know and a few of the other bigger bigger chains, they really push the the consumer trends and it was really interesting to see. 

And I think Slava you mentioned that meeting the low price point where it’s your home hobbyist someone that’s looking to just trial it and do it themselves. I think it’s a really good entry point so if you’re looking to I guess educate it’s always best to start with the lowest common denominator; start with with an area where people go I’m gonna try that smart home bulb with an app etc at home.

And then from there they move into and onto um you know utilizing services such as Slava mention where you can have a a complete home system set up which controls your your television, you’re blinds, um your lights, your heating, so on and so forth. 

You know it is a it becomes that sort of whole uh ecosystem of of home electronics and home office that becomes uh a lot more easier for the consumer to understand once they’ve been given something that that sort of early to mid entry point that’s not too difficult for them to grasp but gives them almost like a a test it and see kind of opportunity uh our role and mine and Nick’s role is to provide that information about products etc and so on and so forth at that mid to low point more than likely um to retailers here in Australia so they can make decisions as to potentially um what they might look to stock and and offer um to the you know 24 – 25 million Australians that are now shopping in those centers.

Frank Mahmud: What the the interesting thing uh the interesting thing I mean I don’t know if anybody else picked up but Slava made a very very strong point uh which is you know how smart technology friendly or Savvy is the average consumer. Right? 

I mean can you go into a Telstra store and buy smart technology and implement that in your home I mean I I consider myself fairly smart when it comes to it I I have an it degree right but if I have to go into a store and buy smart blinds I’m not gonna be able to install that. 

And and I think smart blind is the very basic uh or even like a you know like a Google you know control my home kind of a technology I don’t think I can implement that. That’s what’s a very interesting conversation about you know is the market for smart technology retail consumer or is it you know uh these companies that can educate you or is it the the magazine publications that educate you or is it a mixture of all so it’s interesting it’s a very interesting uh dilemma.

Miroslav Reitikh: Frank, it’s uh.. let me interrupt you for a sec that was the biggest failure from the Telstra point of view when they try and a few years ago introduce their smart home. Someone from United States sold them solution was was dedicated only for the United States with the user experience with the device is with the old Technologies specifically for the audience for United States. 

And I would say because I have my relatives in United States as well and they’re not very smart there and that’s why they’re using smart technology so for Australia market yeah you have to create uh totally different Solutions.

So I said we have to have local localization for Australia you know because people are different here.Difference you know uh estimation for for all those smart Technologies so one company creating something they have to investigate market they have to check what people wants here and based on that even design should be changed and everything should be done what people will buy want. 

You know there’s there’s a simple thing you know so do the search see what people like and the specifically for the country do different device different package different arrangement different menu because all those manuals they have to be so crystal clear that you have no issues from the beginning. 

You know that’s the you it’s called user experience yeah manufacturer has to understand that without it they can’t sell those devices, even if it’s great device they have to make a package and make like flawless delivery.  And then they should still have customer support.

Frank Mahmud: Yeah absolutely uh I think you make a very good point. I think being able the I’m not sure I think it was Paul mention it I think the support uh is very very important uh sometime time zones can be an absolute nightmare but I I think when you’re selling a product having that back end support uh when you have issues I think that’s that’s critical 

Miroslav Reitikh: I think it’s a very good point as well there is another very poet because like uh we’re dealing with the Chinese companies as well and for them it’s very hard to say that they don’t understand requirements you know they say yes but they end of the you know exercise we can see that they don’t understand what they’re saying and they don’t understand those requirements better say no from the beginning then after the project is finished. 

You know so if you if it’s clear don’t hesitate because it’s in this culture you have to say yes or no. If it is not clear for people to say again and again until everyone is on the same page communication I think it’s fine to understand English but communication is a different different ball game right.